Why oh why did they cancel Firefly?

Question

Hehe that kind of rhymes. anyways seriously that had to be one of the best shows on TV. It was funny it was serious it had it all...except ratings apparently. And then the movie came out and i was so hopeful that it was going to bring about another season but alas it didn't so I guess my sub question is who misses Firefly?

Answer 1

I miss Firefly. I really loved Firefly. It was an excellent show, with a lot of promise and potential.

Unfortunately, it had lousy ratings. And it had lousy ratings from its first night. I think it got a 3.1 rating and it went down from there each week. It had ratings that might have worked on a WB or a UPN (which, of course, distributed Joss's other two shows), but not a "major" network like Fox.

The amazing thing, as a fan of intelligent television, is that "Firefly" was actually Fox's lowest or second-lowest rated show every week it was on, including its first week.

It wouldn't have survived on any of the other major networks, and one could perhaps make the argument that Fox kept it on longer on the air longer than it would have done for other shows that pulled such low ratings.

Again, I really liked the show - and I miss it.

Answer 2

I have two possible theories on why Firefly got cancelled:

One: Either Firefly's creators or cast really pizzed off high level studio execs, who for personal reasons as a 'catch-back', cancelled the show and sent the crew packing.

Two: Some high-level Fox exec went to Vegas, got stratospherically high on coke, crack--or both, and while buzzed on drugs ordered Firefly's cancellation---then left for some isolated South Island vacation for months till hurt feelings settled down.

or...Three (ok: so I said "two theories"): Intelligibly written deep sci-fi is not welcomed by network TV unless it's full of slick mainstream elements.

Answer 3

Why Did They Cancel Firefly